look at us through the lens of a camera
by saturninely
Summary: Various drabbles set in the Sherlock universe. May contain spoilers.
1. beginning

Life is full of new beginnings. It could be the day you were born, or the day you first started school. The day you moved into a new house, got a new job, or simply reached a milestone or turning point in your life. Perhaps you recovered from a near-death experience and thought, "Hey, it's time to turn my life around!", or perhaps you simply feel ready for a change.

For John Watson, this new beginning was when he met Sherlock Holmes.

After moving into Baker Street and solving that first case, his life had been divided into two sections: _Before_ and _After_. Before and after he and Sherlock had become friends, that is. Before Sherlock, John's life had been dull—oh, how Sherlock would have hated it. After being sent back from Afghanistan with a bullet wound to the shoulder and a psychosomatic limp, his life had consisted of sitting miserably in his old flat (if you could even call it a flat; it reminded John of a bed-and-breakfast hotel) and regular visits to his therapist, which didn't particularly help at all. She kept telling him to write in his blog, but the truth was, he didn't have much to write about.

Ten years of military service had given John a taste for adventure, and he craved the adrenaline rush he'd felt back in Afghanistan. That first case with Sherlock reminded him of it – firing that shot that saved Sherlock's life had made him feel more alive than he had in months. He'd even been cured of his psychosomatic limp, which was ultimately what led him to stay at 221B with Sherlock. It was just as Mycroft had said; "When you walk with Sherlock Holmes, you see the battlefield" _—_the battlefield which John had missed so much during his pre-Sherlock days.

Whether he liked it or not, he needed Sherlock. Nobody, not even Sherlock Holmes himself, could ever know just how much meaning those words John spoke at his grave that day.

"_I was so alone, and I owe you so much."_

* * *

_A/N: written for the thirty-day drabble challenge which i gave up on._


	2. accusation

John wasn't gay – at least, he didn't think he was. He'd had several (unsuccessful) relationships with women over the years, after all. He hadn't even had any particularly close _friendships _with any other men – that is, before he met Sherlock. John seemed to be the only person in the whole of London who _wasn't _convinced there was anything going on between the two of them. Speaking of which, he couldn't help recalling a conversation he'd had with Irene Adler – or 'The Woman', as she was known professionally – on this very subject.

"_Are you jealous?"  
"We're not a couple."  
"Yes, you are."_

"_For the record – if anyone out there still cares – I'm not actually gay."  
"Well I am. Look at us both."_

John hadn't thought much of it at the time, being more concerned about Sherlock, but looking back on it, he couldn't help but wonder.

Had Irene been _accusing _him of having feelings for Sherlock?

John could see why people might think he and John were a couple – two single men in their thirties living in the same flat – but there certainly wasn't anything _romantic _about their relationship (or friendship, or acquaintance; John wasn't quite sure what exactly it was). Sherlock certainly wasn't the romantic type, to begin with. He barely even showed any real emotion, most of the time.

That said, it wasn't your average friendship, either. Sherlock and John frequently bickered – '_like an old married couple'_, as Lestrade often said – over not-so-average, everyday things like who used the last of the milk, or why there was a bag of what looked like severed ears in the refrigerator, sandwiched between a jar of strawberry jam and an old loaf of bread ("_It's an experiment!"). _But despite this, there was a sort of unspoken understanding between them. They'd settled into a chaotic yet happy little routine, which neither of them particularly had the desire to break.

It was just as John had said earlier – "_We solve crimes, I blog about it and he forgets his pants." _

And he was perfectly fine with that.

* * *

_A/N: also written for the drabble challenge which i never finished._


End file.
